A federal grand jury has indicted three Bloomington-Normal men on child sex trafficking charges.
The U.S. attorney’s office announced the charges in separate cases against Teon Williams, 20, of Bloomington; Jahquan Howard, 26, of Normal; and Andrew Wheeler, 24, of Normal. All three face multiple felony counts.
Williams is charged with three counts of child sex trafficking related to alleged incidents from 2017 to 2019.
Howard faces one count of child sex trafficking and one count of production of child pornography for alleged offenses from 2018 to 2019.
Wheeler is charged with three counts of child sex trafficking and one count of child sex trafficking conspiracy for alleged offenses in 2019.
The three men remain in custody after appearing in federal court and face April trial dates. Bloomington Police investigated the cases with help from the FBI.
Child sex trafficking carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison for each count. Child sex trafficking conspiracy carries a sentence of five years to life. The penalty for child pornography is 15 to 30 years behind bars.
The U.S. attorney’s office said the cases are part of its national Project Safe Neighborhood initiative that aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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